


Spirits Breath

by TigerMultiverse



Series: ZoSan [12]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Crossover, Feeding, First Kiss, Gen, Healing, Hurt Roronoa Zoro, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, Love Confessions, M/M, Mouth-to-Mouth, Near Death Experiences, Worried Vinsmoke Sanji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22686118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerMultiverse/pseuds/TigerMultiverse
Summary: ………it was dark…he didn’t know where he was…
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro & Kaiyo Garden, Roronoa Zoro & Vinsmoke Sanji, Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Series: ZoSan [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569952
Kudos: 33





	Spirits Breath

“Run Moss head!”

“Shut it, Cook!”

Zoro and Sanji ran as fast as they could through a dense forest, a group of hostile pirates with bows, arrows, and swords chasing them. They separated from the crew to venture off into the island when they were attacked.

Zoro and Sanji had to run as not to cause any more trouble. They had to get their crew and leave the island.

It was just a small random stop at this island. It’s a nice island, kind people and good food, the scenery was even beautiful. But, there were some strange creatures here, most animals were bigger than normal, and some could talk. The Straw Hats had already seen their fair share of strange, but this was just weird. The people in the village even talk about this creature they claim as a God. They call it the Forest Spirit, it has the power to give life and take life away.

It’s an odd legend, but the people believe in him with all their hearts. A creature like that seemed impossible at first, but they’ve seen an island in the sky and ocean, so anything’s possible at this point really.

“This way! Come on!” Sanji called out to Zoro, leading the swordsman down a path as arrows flew by.

“Keep going!” Zoro yelled, looking back briefly before his eyes turned back to Sanji.

The two kept running down the path, dodging arrows and branches in their wake. They had to get away from those pirates and fast. It’s not that they couldn’t beat them, it’s that the pirates could seriously injure them or attack the village.

Soon, Zoro and Sanji came across a bridge over a deep river. The bridge was long and the fall was high, so they had to hurry across.

They didn’t hesitate as they began to run across the narrow bridge. When the pirates caught up to them at the bridge, they stopped and aimed to shoot them.

Zoro and Sanji had no way to dodge the arrows, and Zoro noticed this. The swordsman stopped halfway across the bridge to turn and slash the oncoming arrows with Kitetsu and Shusui.

“What are you doing?! Run idiot!” Sanji yelled out to Zoro a few feet from him, eyes widening.

“Keeping them from hitting us! Keep going!” Zoro answered, sweat dripping off his brow as the arrows seemed to come faster.

“Don’t be an idiot Zoro!” Sanji practically screamed.

“Shut up and go!” Zoro screamed back, turning his head to glare at Sanji. “You need to get to the crew–!”

**“ZORO LOOK OUT!!”**

Before Zoro could turn his head, he felt a sudden pain in his chest. The froze, his breath coming out short as he looked down at his chest. An arrow, right where his heart would be, was embedded in his chest. Zoro heard Sanji yell out something, but his ears were ringing and his vision was starting to blur at the edges. The swordsman’s eyes began drooping, his body weakening. Zoro stumbled back, dropping his swords before his back hit the rope and he fell down into the river below. He could faintly hear Sanji scream his name desperately before he hit the water and everything faded away.

_**“ZORO!!”** _

* * *

_  
…_

_…_

_…it was dark…he didn’t know where he was…_

_Zoro remembers getting shot…_

_…falling…_

_…Sanji calling out to him…_

_At first…Zoro was cold…bitterly cold…_

_…but now…he’s warm…_

_…It was a comforting feeling…_

_Was he dead?…that couldn’t be right…he didn’t feel any pain…but he could feel his heart beating…_

_…he could feel himself breathing…_

_Zoro could also feel himself laying down…_

_…he was laying down in water…warm water…_

_…Zoro was completely submerged in the water…but he could breathe…_

_Everything was quiet…so quiet…_

_…but somewhere…Zoro could hear the faint sound of soft footsteps…_

_…or…he couldn’t hear them so much…but feel that as ripples in the water…_

_They were coming towards him…_

_And somehow…he could see what was coming toward him…_

_It was a golden creature…in the form of a large deer…_

_…it leaned down and placed its mouth where the arrow wound would be…_

_At first…Zoro thought that this creature would kill him…take away his last breath…_

_But…he couldn’t die yet…not yet…_

_…he still had to become the world’s greatest swordsman…be there when Luffy becomes the Pirate King…be there when Chopper finds an all-cure medicine…when Usopp becomes a warrior of the sea…when Nami makes a world map…when Brook sees Laboon again…when Robin finds the history of the world…when Franky sails the Sunny around the world…when Nyx finds peace…when Ryan gets his voice back…when Morgan gets her soul back…when Kaiyo makes more adventures and becomes stronger…when Sanji finds All Blue…_

_…Sanji…Zoro wanted to see Sanji again…_

_…wanted to tell him how he felt…_

_…tell him he loved him…_

_But…he might never wake up again…his eye will remain closed forever…_

_However…Zoro could feel the skin and muscle in his wound mend back together somehow…_

_…the creature healed him…how?…why?…_

_…why would it–?_  
  


* * *

Zoro was still lying in darkness, but as he came too, he began to feel the grassy floor underneath him. He could hear the chips and buzz of birds and various insects. Around him was quiet, there was no one around.

Suddenly, a small drop of water lands on his lower lip, and Zoro finally manages to open his eye, fatigue, and drowsiness coursing through him. He’s tired. Really tired. Not like normal, where just a nap will fully wake him up. Zoro feels like he had just woken up from a long slumber. But he knows that’s not the case. He died, didn’t he? The arrow should have pierced his heart.

Soon he’s able to focus, noticing that he’s in a forest, a rather beautiful forest. There was a large pool of water a couple of feet from where he lay, and from the way the trees were lined, Zoro would have thought this place was a den or something. There was a small island in the middle of the pool, it looked uninhabited. Zoro felt completely at peace in this place, he couldn’t explain it. The sunlight shines through trees, and from where the light is coming from, Zoro can tell it’s morning. Did he sleep through half the day and all night? That’s weird.

Zoro groans, squeezing his eye shut as he struggles to raise a hand to his chest, expecting to feel a hole or blood. But…he doesn’t feel any of that.

The wound is _gone_.

His eye snaps open in shock as a small piece of adrenaline riches through him. He somehow manages to push himself up as he looks down at where the wound would be in shock.

“The wound is gone…!” The energy suddenly leaves him as his arms give out and he falls to the forest floor.

He noticed that his head was cushioned and that his chest was bare. His robe was being used as a pillow, who did that? Was he alone? Zoro tried to put his guard up but he was so weak and tired.

_Tap!_

…what was that?

_Tap! Tap!_

Is someone running? Towards him?

Yeah, …someone was…but who? Is it his crew? An enemy? He has to get up but his body wouldn’t move. Wouldn’t cooperate. He was so _weak. Weak. Weak. Weak-_

“Oi. Marimo.”

That name, that voice. Sanji.

Zoro peeled his eye open and looked to see Sanji running towards him. The cook was looking at him in worry and relief.

“Cook…” Zoro whispered, his voice weak and soft.

“Thank goodness, you're awake.” Sanji sighed, eyes closed and hand pressed to his chest. “You’ve been out for a while.” Sanji kneeled next to Zoro, and he finally saw some jerky in his hands.

“I…had a weird dream…there was this…” Zoro paused to take a breath, while Sanji bit into the jerky and tore it in half. “Golden creature…I didn’t understand…”

“Eat this.” Sanji put a piece of the jerky on Zoro’s mouth. The swordsman tried to chew it, his face scrunched up in the struggle, but he was still too weak. _“Chew,”_ Sanji commanded him gently. Zoro tried again, but gave up and pushed the jerky out of his mouth, taking deep breaths. Sanji took the jerky from Zoro and brought it up to his own mouth, taking a bite and chewing, he took another bite and chewed before leaning over and placing his mouth on Zoro’s, forcing his mouth open. The swordsman tensed up, eye closed and face scrunching as Sanji forced the chewed and easy to eat food in his mouth.

Sanji pulled back, taking more bites of the jerky and chewing, while Zoro swallowed and relaxed again. Sanji leaned over again and repeated the process, and Zoro didn’t tense up like last time, expecting it but still a bit shocked.

Once done, Sanji took a bite again, chewing as Zoro swallowed again. They did this a couple of times until the jerky was gone.

“How are you feeling?” Sanji broke the silence, sitting next to Zoro.

“Alright…can’t move that much…” Zoro said, his grey eye closed and taking deep breaths. “What…happened…?”

Sanji was quiet for a moment, prompting Zoro to open his eye and look at Sanji. He couldn’t see the cooks face, it was hidden by a veil of beautiful golden hair.

“Cook…?” Zoro said, trying to get Sanji’s attention.

“You…one of those bastards shot you in the _heart._ ” The Cook finally said, still not looking at Zoro. “You fell into the river. I dealt with those pirates and went after you downstream. It was deep, and it took forever to find you.” Sanji was shaking and his voice was almost wavering. “When I found you…you weren’t _breathing._ Your heart was barely _beating._ I thought you were dead. The arrow was gone and there was blood _everywhere._ ” Sanji was visibly trembling now, and it sounded like he was crying. Zoro wanted to reach out to him, tell him not to cry, but his body refused to move. “I-I thought you were dead, but you finally started breathing normally again, and the wound was gone. I didn’t understand it, but I didn’t care, you were alive.” Sanji stopped, reaching up and wiping the unseen tears from his eyes.

Sanji finally turned to Zoro, and the swordsman almost felt his heart stop again. There were fat tears in his beautiful ocean blue eyes, but there was a genuine, grateful smile on the cook’s face. “I’m glad you're alright Zoro.”

And _fuck,_ Zoro really thought his heart would break at Sanji tearful smile. The Cook turned away from Zoro again and wiped the tears from his face. After what seemed like forever, Zoro decided to say what he always wanted to.

 _“Sanji.”_ The blond gave a small jump at the rough and hoarse sound of his name and looked back at Zoro. The swordsman took a deep breath before continuing. “I’m not going to get beaten that easily. Especially by some goddamn arrow.” He scowled, making Sanji grin. “I’m not going to leave the crew like that,” he opened his eye and looked into Sanji’s. “I won’t leave _you_ like that.”

A small, warm feeling bloomed in Sanji’s chest, red spreading across his cheeks. Sanji stared at Zoro for a minute before leaning over the swordsman again, but not to give him food, but give him something else.

Sanji stared into Zoro’s grey eye before closing his own blues ones and placing his mouth over Zoro’s in a slow, passionate kiss. The swordsman closed his own eye, relaxing his whole body as he gave into his want and need for Sanji. He managed to find enough strength to lift an arm and wrap it around Sanji’s waist, pulling him closer.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until they had to pull apart for stupid air. They panted as they stared into each other’s eyes, soon Sanji started laughing, which prompted Zoro to join in.

They fully separated when the sound of hurried footsteps was coming towards them. Sanji sat up and looked to the opening behind Zoro, his Concentration Haki activated to sense who was coming. Soon, Kaiyo ran through the opening. Sanji let himself relax at the sight of his young Nakama.

“Zoro, Sanji!” Kaiyo said relieved, walking over to Zoro’s side. “You're awake! Are you alright?”

Zoro chuckled, weakly raising a hand to pat Kaiyo’s head in reassurance. “I’m fine, short stack.”

Kaiyo and Sanji smiled, but their attention was drawn back to the opening at the sound of multiple footsteps and twigs breaking. They looked over and saw a giant, white wolf, and two slightly smaller wolves come in. Immediately Sanji tensed and moved to stand, but was stopped by Kaiyo standing and holding her hands in front of Sanji. So the cook relaxed and brought Zoro’s head into his lap.

“It’s okay Sanji, they’re friends.” She said as the wolves walked up to them, they weren't hostile, so that was a good sign. “Sanji, Zoro, this is Moro and her cubs. They’re the wolf clan, they’re in alliance to the spirit of this forest.”

“You know,” Moro said, her mouth moving with her words. She was looking straight at Zoro. “You’re very lucky to be alive boy. An arrow to the heart would kill anyone.”

“I guess I am.” Zoro took a deep breath. “Glad I didn’t die.”

“You _did_ die, boy,” Moro said, making Sanji’s and Kaiyo’s breath catch in their throats. “The Forest Spirit brought you back to life. He wants you to live.”

“The…Forest Spirit?” Zoro round himself asking.

“The villagers talked about him Zoro,” Kaiyo said, looking back at Zoro. “He can give life and take it away, he must have healed you.”

“Why?” Zoro huffed.

“I don’t know. He chooses who lives and who dies, his motives unknown.” Moro told the swordsman.

The pirates were quiet for sometime, looking at Moro in shock before they sensed another presence with them. Sanji and Kaiyo looked around before their gazes fell upon a being out in the water. Or rather on the water. It was a large deer with huge antlers, it’s fur red with white underbelly. Its feet were weirdly unnatural, they were a green color and looked like they belonged to a bird instead. The deer was bent over, drinking the water he was levitating upon.

“The Forest Spirit…” Kaiyo whispered, looking at the god in awe.

The Forest Spirit lifted his head and looked their way. He had the face of a human, his skin a blood red as well as his eyes.

There was something about his gaze that struck Sanji and Kaiyo, like he was telling them something. Although, he was looking at Zoro’s still and exhausted form, making Sanji tighten his grip on the swordsman ever so slightly.

After a moment, the Forest Spirit turned and walked away on the water, only leaving ripples that soon disappeared. The god disappeared from the grove, leaving the pirates and wolves to stare at where he once was.

* * *

  
Hours later, the three Straw Hats got back to the Sunny with the help of Moro and her cubs. The wolf god told them to be careful for the remainder of their stay, most gods won’t hesitate to kill humans, especially pirates.

Sanji and Kaiyo got Zoro to the infirmary and laid him down on the bed. Chopper or Morgan weren’t on the Sunny, so they had to wait for them.

It was nighttime now and Kaiyo volunteered to keep watch outside while Sanji stayed with Zoro.

Sanji watched Zoro take deep breaths as he slept, his scared chest gently moving with each inhale and exhale. The swordsman was completely dead to the world, not literally thankfully. As the minutes of silence dragged on, Sanji couldn’t help but feel incredibly grateful for the deer god that saved Zoro. Sanji vaguely remembers feeling the same way after Thriller Bark as he watched a heavily injured Zoro sleep carefree.

When the swordsman had woken up, Sanji had basically yelled at Zoro for being so stupid for almost dying and how worried he was.

Sanji was not ashamed or embarrassed after he admitted that he was worried about the stupid swordsman, and Zoro just sat there and let Sanji vent as much as he could until the cook was crying in his bandaged arms.

They didn’t really talk about that again, only twice, and pretty vaguely.

But it did help clear some air between them.

Sanji sighed, closing his eyes before opening them and looking at Zoro’s left eye scar, reaching over to gently trace it. The swordsman never said how he got it, but Sanji didn’t care.

The cook leaned over and gently kissed the vertical scar, lingering for a moment before pulling back and seeing that Zoro was awake now, watching him with his lone grey eye. They stared at each other before Zoro moved over a bit to let Sanji lay down next to him. The cook laid down on the bed and rested his head on Zoro’s chest, right above his beating heart. The swordsman sighed and wrapped his left arm around Sanji, pulling him close as he stared up at the ceiling.

A few minutes or hours later, Zoro and Sanji weren’t sure, the infirmary door opened and closed as Kaiyo entered. She looked at her two Nakama cuddling close together before toeing off her shoes and going over to the bed, climbing up and laying on Zoro’s right side, her head laying on his midsection and arm wrapped around his waist, almost gripping tightly. Zoro wrapped his right arm around his young Nakama and returned his gaze up to the ceiling, looking at it before sleep ebbed at him and he fell back into a peaceful rest.

Hours later, the door opened again and a brunette woman with magenta violet eyes poked her head in and almost froze at the sight she saw. There laid her three Nakama in an exhausted bundle on the bed, completely dead to the world as the breathed quiet breaths.

Morgan looked at them for a moment before a smile stretched across her face as she closed the door quietly and went to find her other Nakama.

They would leave them alone for a while, they obviously needed the sleep.


End file.
